Terry L. Kupp named new director of the Cayuga CC Center for Academic Success

DATE: 08-21-2012

Terry L. Kupp of Skaneateles was named the director of Cayuga Community College Center for Academic Success. She began in the role on July 2 after the College Board of Trustees approved the search committee’s recommendation to appoint Kupp to the position during their June meeting.

Kupp had been serving as interim director of the College’s Academic Support Center (now renamed the Center for Academic Success) on the Auburn Campus since June 2010. In that role, she provided managerial oversight and supervision of the support services offered by the center, including placement testing, tutoring, internships, and orientation. Since 2009, she had also served as the disability specialist; helping students with disabilities obtain the support services they needed to reach their academic goals. She also serves as an instructor of Cayuga 101 Foundations of College Success, a gateway course that prepares students for the college environment and coursework.

“I am honored to serve as the director of the Center for Academic Success,” Kupp said. “I enjoy and value being part of a team of professionals dedicated to our students’ academic success. As a first generation college student myself, I understand the importance of and want to take an active role in the College’s retention efforts. I sincerely believe that my education and career path have led me precisely to this time and place. I look forward to working collaboratively with faculty and the Center’s staff to achieve the goals of our new mission.”

One of Kupp’s first big challenges in her role is to roll out a rebranding of the support center.

In an effort to better align academic support services with the College’s mission, the Board of Trustees recently approved a change in the name and mission of the Academic Support Center to the Center for Academic Success. The new mission promotes the attainment of each student’s postsecondary educational goals by providing comprehensive, coordinated academic support services to all enrolled students. Center activities are grounded in research-based best practices for promoting student persistence and include but are not limited to:

Early intervention, academic success strategies that lead to independent, active learning and self-regulation

Collaboration with faculty, particularly those teaching developmental, foundation, and college success courses

The position and the responsibilities that come with it align perfectly with Kupp’s experience and education. In addition to her work at Cayuga, Kupp served as an academic coach and global education and academic advising intern at LeMoyne and as a teaching assistant for a College Learning Strategies course at Syracuse University. She earned a bachelor’s in psychology at Smith College in Northampton, Mass., and a master’s in higher postsecondary education at Syracuse University. She has also completed graduate coursework at Grambling State University in Grambling, La.

“I am happy to continue doing what I love,” Kupp said. “I look forward to serving the students at Cayuga to help them reach their academic goals.”